The Dodgers spent big in free agency before the series title. The next class may be more in-depth – Winston-Salem Journal

Now is the time to see which teams are in the mood to open their wallets for free agents in preparation for the 2025 season.

The Ohtani sweepstakes dominated last year’s offseason talk until the Japanese superstar signed an impressive $700 million, 10-year deal last December. With apologies to Juan Soto, there may not be anyone demanding that kind of salary in the coming months, even if this year’s class is higher.

Soto, Willie Adames, Corbin Burns, Max Fried, Blake Snell, Alex Bregman and Jack Flaherty are among the high-profile players looking for new teams. Then there’s another enticing tier of players like the aforementioned Hernandez, Anthony Santander, Yurikson Proffer, Ha-Seong Kim, Pete Alonso, Christian Walker and Sean Manaea who could provide big contributions to championship-contending teams. title.

MLB general managers will meet this week in San Antonio, Texas, in the unofficial opening of the offseason. There aren’t usually many moves during these early November talks, but the groundwork is often laid for future deals.

Here are some things to watch as MLB free agency opens this week:

This class may be deep, but without a doubt the No. 1 prize is Soto. The four-time All-Star now has 201 career homers, a career .421 on-base percentage and helped lead the New York Yankees to the World Series before losing in five games to the Dodgers.

He is also only 26 years old.

The Yankees would love to keep Soto, who has teamed with Aaron Judge to form a formidable duo for the Bronx Bombers. But it’s unclear how much owner Hal Steinbrenner is willing to spend on a player who could command a contract in the $500 million range.

Soto didn’t tip his hand after New York’s disappointing exit in the Fall Classic, but it doesn’t sound like he’s ready to sign for a discount.

“I’ll be available for all 30 teams,” Soto said. “I don’t want to say that anybody has any advantage because at the end of the day we will look at what they have and how much they want me.

One of the more intriguing teams to watch in the coming months is the New York Mets, who overcame a slow start to go all the way to the NL Championship Series before losing to the Dodgers.

Alonso has been a big part of the Mets’ lineup over the last six seasons, with 226 home runs. Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana are also on the market after they were all important parts of the pitching rotation.

Now the franchise must decide whether to keep them, rebuild or do a combination of the two. There’s a lot of pressure on the team to improve, especially since it doesn’t look like the Intercity Yankees will stop winning anytime soon.

It will be fascinating to see what happens with veterans like Paul Goldschmidt, Walker Buehler, Shane Bieber and Carlos Santana. These are guys who have a few miles (and surgeries) on their bodies, but have been great big leaguers for a long time.

Goldschmidt was the 2022 NL MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals, but his offensive production has dipped over the past few years. Still, he’s a first baseman who does well in the clubhouse and keeps his body in great shape.

Buehler is back from his second Tommy John surgery this season. He’s had some ups and downs, though his great showing in the World Series is reason to believe he’s got plenty more left in him. He pitched six scoreless innings against the Yankees, including a scoreless ninth to win the series in Game 5.

Baseball super agent Scott Boras has long been considered one of the best in the business, although last year’s offseason was not among his best.

Several of his clients — including Snell, Matt Chapman, Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bellinger — didn’t sign until spring training, but still didn’t get the long-term, high-dollar deals they were looking for. Instead, most signed short-term deals.

Boras will again be a major factor this offseason, representing many of the major free agents, including Soto, Burns, Alonso, Snell and Bregman.

AP baseball writer Ronald Bloom in New York contributed to this report.